A Newcastle University researcher is to use advanced brain-imaging to search for a cure for tinnitus after the Northumberland Freemasons donated £75,000 to set up a studentship with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
Kate Yukhnovich - who has a neuroscience PhD - will use the funding to investigate how the brain activity of people with and without tinnitus changes when listening to a series of sounds.
She hopes to be able to develop a test to tell whether someone has tinnitus.
Go here for the latest NHS news and breaking North East public health news
Though millions suffer from tinnitus - which is thought to be caused by hearing loss linked to damage to the inner ear - there isn't a test for it and there is no cure, either. It's estimated that around seven million people have the condition in the UK. That's roughly one in eight adults.
Kate works in Newcastle under the supervision of Dr William Sedley.
The new studentship is designed to "develop and nurture" researchers working in auditory neuroscience.
Kate started studying psychology at the University of Sheffield in 2015, and later completed her PhD in Newcastle
She said: "It’s astonishing that more work isn’t done in this area, considering more than seven million adults in the UK are living with tinnitus. I’m really keen to develop a clearer understanding of the condition and help people who are affected."
She will use electroencephalography (EEG) to observe how the brains react to noises as she investigates tinnitus.
Ralph Holme, RNID's director of research and insight said: "We’re very grateful to Northumberland Freemasons for this generous grant. Hearing loss and tinnitus research is significantly underfunded, which is why grants like this are so important to help us achieve breakthroughs.
"Less than one per cent of the total public and charity investment in medical research was spent on hearing research in 2018 – just 83p spent per person affected. We look forward to seeing the results of Kate’s research."
Dr Greg Smith from Northumberland Freemasons, said the organisation was pleased to be able to help.
He said: "Some people describe tinnitus as a constant hiss or screech, which can cause great distress over a long period. It’s desperately important that we continue to research this condition and find a solution. This partnership offers us more hope that tinnitus might one day be silenced."
